How did Christian thinkers adapt classical ideas to Christian teachings, and what new religious concepts and practices did they develop?

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The Marys at Jesus’s TombThis late-fourth-century ivory panel tells the biblical story of Mary Magdalene and another Mary who went to Jesus’s tomb to anoint the body (Matthew 28:1–7). At the top guards collapse when an angel descends from Heaven, and at the bottom the Marys listen to the angel telling them that Jesus has risen. Here the artist uses Roman artistic styles to convey Christian subject matter, synthesizing classical form and Christian teaching. (Castello Sforzesco Milan, Italy/Scala/Art Resource, NY)

TThe growth of Christianity was tied not just to institutions such as the papacy and monasteries but also to ideas. Initially, Christians rejected Greco-Roman culture. Gradually, however, Christian leaders and thinkers developed ideas that drew on classical influences, though there were also areas of controversy that differed in the Western and Eastern Churches.